Online Flight Instructor Refresher Course (FIRC) provider AceCFI appears to have abruptly ceased operations following the expiration of its FAA authorization on Sept. 30, 2025. Multiple former course subscribers said they were taken by surprise, many of whom were mid-course when the provider’s services suddenly went offline.
The company, once listed on the FAA’s 2024 roster of approved FIRC providers, was omitted from the updated list published Aug. 29, 2025. At the beginning of October, the AceCFI website was replaced with a Network Solutions “Under Construction” placeholder.
The FAA could not be reached for comment due to the ongoing government shutdown.
Instructors Report Sudden Loss of Access
According to a Reddit discussion in the r/flying community, several instructors reported losing access to the course website without any notice or explanation. One user wrote that emails to customer service addresses bounced back, while another noted the provider’s absence from the latest FAA list.
“It looks like that AceCFI is out of business,” one commenter said, citing the removal of the CEO’s LinkedIn listing.
AceCFI’s former LinkedIn and Facebook pages are no longer accessible.
Other users expressed frustration at being unable to complete their renewal courses or access lifetime subscriptions they had purchased; no commenters reported receiving refunds.
AOPA said the organization started receiving calls about AceCFI’s disappearance at the beginning of the month. Mary Kuehn, AOPA FIRC Program Manager, told AVweb the organization is making its eFIRC program free for affected AOPA members.
“For many, this happened right in the middle of their renewal, which is tough—and depending on how close you are to your expiration date, incredibly stressful,” Kuehn said. “AOPA already serves our members in a wide variety of ways, so offering the eFIRC at no cost to those affected was an easy decision.”
Still Active on Paper
State business filings show AceCFI, LLC remains listed as an active entity with the Texas Comptroller and Secretary of State. Records identify David P. Bohn as the registered agent and Brett Bohn as the company’s president and director, both with addresses in Canyon Lake, Texas. The address provided on FAA’s 2024 list for AceCFI corresponds to a local post office in Canyon Lake.
There is currently no one by the name of Brett Bohn listed in the FAA Airman Registry, although there does appear to be a David P. Bohn with a Houston P.O. box with a student pilot certificate issued in Jan. 2000.
Sent to Voicemail
Calls placed Thursday to the company’s listed Houston-area phone number reached a voicemail greeting in which the apparent owner of the number denies any association with AceCFI.
“If you are trying to reach a company called ‘ACFI’, or something like that, this is not it,” the message said. “If you recognize my voice and know who this is, then you may leave me a message. If not, then please don’t. Thanks, Bye.”
The call has not yet been returned.
Dang. That doesn’t bode well for renewals.
Much of GA is powered by dreams and not reality. How do you make a million dollars in aviation, start with two million. Dreams don’t pay the bills. If you haven’t been disappointed by some aviation enterprise or another, you haven’t been in aviation very long. All that being said, I still love it:-)
Full disclosure I work for King Schools. We read this story and want to help the CFIs who might be impacted. If you are a former AceCFI “lifetime” customer, you can receive a big discount on the King Schools FIRC if your CFI certificate is due to expire before February 1, 2026.
You’ll only pay the same $29 that AceCFI charged for processing your renewal with the FAA.. If you are interested call King Schools at (800) 854-1001.